The Doctor, The Woman, and The Sniper
by GagaMidnight
Summary: Sequel to Breaking Boundaries. When Sebastian Moran starts looking for Irene, after Norton gives his order, it is soon discovered that Sherlock is still alive thanks to certain medical files of Irene's. Sherlock has to stop being dead and come back to life to end the network once and for all for the sake of his friends and family.
1. Chapter 1

It was Christmas Eve and it had almost hit midnight. Many people in the city of Newark were coming home from their Christmas Eve parties, either high on excitement or alcohol. There were kids too excited to sleep at the thought of Father Christmas making a visit in the night with their Christmas presents. Irene Adler was one of those parents except her child was her boyfriend and the one thing keeping him awake was his refusal to stop playing a handheld game console which she had regretted buying him since the day she bought him it.

"Sherlock it's Christmas Eve and it's almost midnight could you turn that thing off and come to bed. You know I can't sleep without you." she pleaded.

Sherlock looked up. "In a minute I promise I am at a crime scene at the moment."

"Save it!"

"If I save it and go to bed right now Irene I will not have completed every one of these CSI games for the Nintendo DS in one day and as you so rightfully pointed out it's almost midnight which means it's almost over. Anyway I know who done the murder. I just need to log the evidence and go through this palaver." he replied.

She walked over to him and took the console out of his hands. "Then really you have completed it and who else is there to boast to other than your mirror and me?"

Sherlock's eyes darted to her hands, and the marks on them she had earned by being nailed to a floor. Irene noticed him looking and put her right hand on his cheek. "I am fine now, dear. I promise."

He felt guilty still though. She was the one woman he cared about. He put his own hand on her cheek and kissed her. When he broke away he brought his lips to her ear. "Merry Christmas, Woman." he whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Sherlock."

It was her turn to kiss him and as it became more intense he lifted her up and carried her upstairs. Just as they reached Irene's bedroom door she broke away from the kiss. "Let's hope Mycroft does not pop in early tomorrow like the last time. I am sure he found great amusement seeing me exiting your room in our hotel suit, in your dressing gown."

"It shocks me to see what amuses my brother." Sherlock replied. Irene chuckled and they kissed again.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"I'm bored." Sherlock complained the next morning as he read the morning newspaper in the living room.

"Good morning to you too dear." Irene replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Not at all." Sherlock replied before walking to the window. "I am surprised you never put up a Christmas tree. You seem the type."

"I would have, but I just don't feel in the Christmas mood." Irene replied before looking at her hands. "I think I will give John a phone later to wish him a Merry Christmas. Do you remember this time last year? I faked my death."

"Yes and I saved your life."

"Yes you did."

"But at the end of the day it was all your brains that almost destroyed the British Government. I had to make sure though you carried out your plan. You were too nice back then. You still are."

"Since we're not celebrating Christmas properly would you like to watch a non-Christmas related movie with me?"

"Depends. Which one?"

"I was thinking that surely you could choose one. After all you must have watched some movies before you met John or me."

"There was one once. It was a documentary film…"

"On Jack the Ripper." they ended up saying in unison.

"I bet if I'd been around at the time I would have found him." Sherlock replied.

"Of course you would have dear." Irene replied with a sigh.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

**Friday 28****th**** December 2012**

With persuasion from Mary, John had started up a small practice in Baker Street using the basement flat 221 C to try and bring in extra money. It kept John busy and his mind from his friend Sherlock. _"If Sherlock had been around right now I probably would not get peace to start this practice up. Or get time to myself with Mary."_

He looked at the next card of who he was meant to be seeing next. Then he put it on his desk with a toss and called them in. "Sebastian Moran, please."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

**Tuesday 5th February 2013**

"I think I'll write another book now." Irene spoke from her piano.

"Oh that's interesting." Sherlock replied, as he tapped his console screen with his stylus. He was playing another crime investigation game and Irene was worried he was becoming addicted.

Irene stood up and went to see what he was doing in the game but she sat back down again as she began to feel faint. Sherlock noticed how quickly she sat herself down and he paused his game. Putting his new attachment to the thing into consideration it meant he was very worried.

"Woman, are you alright?" Sherlock asked.

"Fine. I stood up too quickly. That's all."

"You've not been eating for the last two days perhaps you're just needing to eat."

"You go for days on end without food so don't start me Sherlock Holmes!" Irene snapped. Then she sighed. "I am sorry I…I think I will go and lie down."

"Why aren't you eating?" Sherlock asked her.

"I don't feel like. I am just not hungry." Irene replied before making her way upstairs. Sherlock rolled his eyes before un-pausing his game.

"_It's terrible that I've been reduced to this." he thought. "Amazing what one can do in video games these days though."_

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

The next morning Irene awoke to the sound of Sherlock playing the violin downstairs. She looked at the clock ready to scold the detective for playing it so early when she realised that she'd slept in to half past eleven. She got up, showered and dressed before making her way downstairs. "Sherlock you didn't wake me up!"

"I thought you needed sleep. After all you're going nowhere. Made you some tea as soon as I heard you wake up though."

Irene walked over and picked it up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." he replied as he continued playing.

"Sherlock would you cut that noise out?" Irene asked.

"What noise?"

"Your violin. My head is sore!"

Sherlock sighed before putting it down on the coffee table.

"What have I told you about putting your things away?" Irene asked him.

Sherlock blinked. She rarely snapped at him and now she was doing it more than once within two days. "I am sorry." Irene apologised. "I am just tired."

"Now you know why I let you sleep in."

"Yeah. OK. I'm sorry." she apologised before walking over to Sherlock and putting her arms around him.

"I can be annoying sometimes though."

"No you're not. Well yeah you can be."

"So true…"

"You're fishing for compliments now Sherlock Holmes."

Sherlock laughed. "Well, I've not been able to do any cases for a long time. Where else am I going to get compliments except from NPCs."

"NPCs?" Irene questioned.

"Stands for non playable characters. I looked it up on the internet. I think I am going to get a Steam Account."

"Darling, I don't understand."

"To get more games. I can play with people online and socialise with a pen name."

Irene laughed against his chest. "You're such a child Sherlock Holmes. Such a child."

TBC

A/N I was going to wait before I brought this out but, it's the wonderful, gorgeous, kind and talented Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch's birthday today and so Happy Birthday to him. I hope he has a lovely day.


	2. Chapter 2

Irene sat in a coffee shop a small walk away from her loft. She needed to get away from Sherlock, before she snapped at him for small reasons again that she would not normally do so for. She didn't mean to snap at him; it just happened and she felt severely guilty. Sherlock was always forgiving which surprised her.

She opened up her notepad and began writing out ideas for her new story. Then she began putting a line through them all as she gave up on them. She sighed and bowed her head. "Hey, Irene, you okay?" the usual waiter, David asked. He'd seen her in the coffee shop often enough to know her, as a person and not as a writer. He was working to help get him through college; he hardly had time to pick up a book.

"Yeah, I am just having a rather trying day."

"Well boss man made some of your favourite muffins. I'll get you one. Might cheer you up, who knows?"

"I'm feeling a little nauseated at the moment, sweetie. But thanks anyway. How is the studying going?"

"Yeah, it's going…Well…I'm doing my best."

"That's all you can do. Good luck."

"I'm worried about you now. You never turn down the boss man's muffins."

Irene's phone alert went off indicating a text. She looked at her recent message. **"When did you go out?"**

"_I love how he just notices I've left."_

"More coffee?" she heard the waiter ask.

"No. I don't feel like that either can I just have something that has no taste and no smell…Water?"

"Sure. Maybe you should go and see a doctor or something. I hear there is a stomach bug going around."

"Yeah maybe." Irene agreed.

Irene put money on the table to pay for her bill, and then stood up and made her way outside before someone bumped into her.

"I am sorry miss. At least I'm hoping you're a miss because if you're not I am going to be depressed for the rest of my life. My name is Sebastian Moran."

"Hello. Yes I am a miss but I also have a boyfriend." Irene replied.

"My life is over." Sebastian replied before making his way inside the café. He removed a cell from his pocket and looked into his contacts until he found the one labelled GN. **"I have found her. Got her address off of Doctor Watson's computer."**

"**Follow her. I want to know what my dear old muse is doing these days."**

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene sat in the waiting room of the doctors as she waited to be seen. It was always too warm in there, no matter what time of the year. She was beginning to feel worse the longer she waited.

"Irene Adler." the doctor finally called.

Irene stood up and followed her doctor into the room.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Sherlock was reading a book when Irene came back, which surprised her. He'd stopped reading since she bought him the game console. "Hi." she spoke.

"Where have you been? I wanted to play chess."

"Was at the café and I was not feeling very well."

"I'm surprised Mycroft has not phoned yet. He's still going on about that microchip isn't he?"

"Yeah well I'll find it when I find it. If it still exists."

"I am sure the entire British and American nation is depending on it." Sherlock replied sarcastically. "It's been over around two months since he started looking for it I don't think his patience is very strong right now."

"It's not my fault, you know." Irene replied before walking to the window. She began twirling the locket she was wearing round and round in her hand. She didn't normally do it unless she was nervous. She was at that moment. She had to tell Sherlock something but she was scared.

"Did you say you weren't feeling well?"

"Yes, I wasn't and David…"

"Who is David?"

"The college kid who works in the coffee shop now and then for money to help him pay for books and stuff."

"Oh. So what he was he doing?"

"He told me that there was a stomach bug going about. He thought it was relevant because I have not been feeling so well."

"Oh. Is this story going somewhere, if not can I please get a short to the point answer?"

"I would but it's not that simple."

"Just give me the short answer please. I'm almost finished downloading a new video game."

"Fine you want the cliff notes version no matter how brutal it is?"

"Yes. I cope better with brutality."

"I'm…" she began. "It doesn't matter."

"Then why did you bring it up I am rather busy."

"Oh you're busy, Sherlock. You've spent around two months playing nothing but video games like a little boy."

"I need boredom management sometimes. If I am shooting monsters then I'm not shooting your walls." Sherlock replied as though it was simple.

"I see." Irene replied. "Okay."

A tear slid down her cheek all of a sudden. Sherlock noticed. "Don't be like that they have multiplayer."

"Sherlock if you mention those damn stupid video games again I shall break your Nintendo thing and break the computer. See how you play those games then!"

"My mind…" she heard Sherlock mumble.

"Pardon?"

"MY MIND NEEDS A STIMULUS." he shouted loudly. "I've been stuck in here for months. If we do solve a case it's to send in anonymously as advice. The closest I get to a puzzle now is playing some game about archaeology. Excuse me if I am not normal! But I can't get out! Don't think video games were my first choice. Not for one moment no and while we're on the subject if you were me what would you be doing?"

"Sadly I am not you, but then again it is not so bad. I don't have to be a complete shit all the time. I don't know how John put up with you all the time but I feel sorry for him and you know what I am glad you faked your death because finally that man is getting some free time away from having to be a parent to you! Unfortunately I am stuck with you now!"

"I am very sorry, but it wasn't my fault that you're the only one with at least some intelligence that I could trust as I remember correctly what was it you said to me two months ago….Ah yes I remember now. I love you."

"What was I thinking then? I must have been semi-conscious!" she snapped back angrily.

Sherlock stood up on the couch and jumped off from the back before making his way to the computer desk. He swallowed. "So you don't love me then?" he asked.

"Shut up of course I do."

"Then why did you say that…"

"Sherlock it's just an argument if I was to stop loving you because of one I would never be in love with you."

She sat down and put her face into her hands as she began to cry. "Why are you crying?" Sherlock asked.

"I don't know. I really don't know. I can't cope anymore. I just can't cope."

"Do you want to play chess perhaps that will make you feel better?"

"Sherlock, you don't get it. You just don't get it at all."

She took a deep breath in before standing up and looking at him. "You are trying and it's good that you are but some things are too human for you. You won't understand."

Sherlock didn't know what else to do. Instead he walked over and hugged her. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

**The next morning**

"Sir, you know how you wanted me to keep an eye on Irene Adler for you; well her medical files have been updated. She's been diagnosed pregnant." Anthea spoke to Mycroft, who was drinking his tea at the time. Mycroft gulped quickly so that he would not spit out his tea.

"It's not that sir someone else was viewing her records using a secure proxy I already had the technicians downstairs look into whose server it was."

Mycroft stood up and walked to the window. "If it is Norton then Sherlock and Irene are at risk. Have security round the Baker Street perimeter, keeping an eye on Mrs Hudson and Dr Watson."

"Yes, sir."

"Also double check that the doctors have not made a mistake."

"I will, sir."

When Anthea was gone Mycroft rolled his eyes. "Nothing surprises me about the trouble he causes himself anymore."

"Sir…" Anthea began as she made her way in with her blackberry in her hand as she texted security. "Sherlock has a Steam Account."

"What is a Steam Account?"

"It's where you buy games and download them to a computer. His pen name is 'the locked up genius'. I didn't think your brother liked video games."

Mycroft sighed. "Make sure he has not put up any details that would indicate he was Sherlock Holmes."

"Yes, sir.

Mycroft removed his mobile from his inside pocket and began to text Irene. **"Does he know?"**

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene was downstairs, still awake when her mobile went off. It was one o'clock in the morning for her. Surprisingly Sherlock was asleep. She wanted to keep it that way. She grabbed her phone from the table and saw Mycroft had texted her. She half assumed he would be wanting the microchip, but she swallowed when she saw what he really said. **"Does he know?" **

She could guess that Mycroft had heard of her recent news, but she decided to play ignorant. "**Does he know? Does who know what?" **

She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged herself as she waited on the reply. Finally it came five minutes later. **"That you're carrying his child. It is his isn't it?" **

"**Yes it is his! Do you think I would cheat on him?" **she replied feeling angry.

"**No, in fact I don't think that you could. You're in love with him. But you have still not told him have you?" **

She never replied and instead she switched her phone off and began to cry into the back of the sofa.

Sherlock woke up an hour later to find that Irene was not there. He blinked and got up. "Woman?" he called. He walked to the top of the stairs and heard crying. Then he made his way downstairs to find her.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Then why are you crying if it doesn't matter? Don't lie to me Woman, it doesn't work."

"Things are just getting to me, that's all."

"What 'things'?" Sherlock asked.

"You wouldn't understand, Sherlock. So just go away."

"You do realise that I am trying to have a heart and you're kind of discouraging it. Quite hypocritical of you."

"Sherlock, you wouldn't understand." Irene replied.

"Fine." Sherlock replied, before folding his arms and storming upstairs.

"_Here I am panicking because I am going to have my first child, and I already have one and he wonders why I'm crying." _

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea came in and sat a file on Mycroft's desk. "Irene Adler's phone is still switched off, sir. The proxy accessing Irene's medical records was located to an IP address used in an internet café. So when Alan told me this, I naturally thought that it was someone who had to have had a laptop with them. They would not dare risk exposure by using one of the computer's there. So I had them get access to the security footage, and turns out our rouge special ops agent Sebastian Moran was in the café."

Mycroft opened up the file and looked at the photos. "This is the same Sebastian Moran who is Norton's top man?"

"Yes, sir I believe it is the same man."

"That was very clever of you Anthea. You handled this well."

"Thank you, sir." Anthea smiled. "I have two men in Newark keeping an eye on Adler's loft and I checked with the doctor again she is definitely pregnant."

"Thank you Anthea."

"I also alerted the CIA of Sebastian Moran's presence and made sure they were aware of him being a threat. Although I think his main target is Adler. Perhaps Norton was interested in what she was doing. Perhaps he wanted her for his network and such."

"You should use your initiative more, Anthea."

"Was that a compliment?" Anthea asked.

Mycroft just smirked as a reply.

"Sir, the CIA are still putting pressure on you to put pressure on Adler for that microchip."

"I think it is long gone now. Dear, Irene has enough pressure at the moment without the microchip being added to it."

"So shall I just ignore there faxes then, and say they are in process?"

Mycroft snickered. "That's if they bother to complain. I almost forgot have Baker Street tested for bugs."

"Yes, sir. Oh and sir don't be late for your appointment with the prime minister."

"Thank you, Anthea. I forgot."

"I thought so; you were smiling." Anthea replied before leaving the office. Mycroft turned to the door and looked puzzled for a moment, before snickering.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene made her way down to the coffee shop when morning came. She ordered a cup of coffee and sat down before opening up her notebook to try and think. She gave up and ordered another cup of coffee - which turned into a third and then a fourth as the scoring out of ideas on her notepad became scrunched up pieces of paper.

Her attention was stolen suddenly by a group of people, entering the café. She thought they were going to go up and order but they scattered themselves across the café and went to their tables. None of them sat down however.

"_In my books this would be when bad things happen." _

Then she heard the cocking of guns in unison before they turned around. _"No." _

She heard a single click of a gun and she turned around to see who done it. It was Sebastian Moran. _"He's the one who was hitting on me, yesterday."_

He leaned in on Irene's table. "Norton sent me to keep an eye on you. He's not happy with the fact that you're going to have a baby that isn't his." he whispered. "But what he doesn't like the most is the fact that you were keeping Sherlock Holmes hidden all this time."

"Sherlock Holmes is dead."

"No he's not. I hacked the security cameras to your building. If you go quietly then it will be just him that dies. If not well it will be both of you."

"Leave her alone!" David shouted.

"I'm fine, David. Please do not provoke him."

Sebastian turned his gun on him. "You should listen to her, I don't like being provoked."

He hauled Irene up by her shirt collar. As he pulled her to the door Irene caught a glimpse of the table, where they had the cutlery lined out. She let her hands drag to grab a knife and then she cut his shoulder with it. When he let go in surprise she grabbed his gun and put it to his head. "Call off your men and the attack on Sherlock now!"

"I knew you would do that, Irene. Which is why that one is fake."

He pulled the knife out of her hands. "But this weapon isn't."

He brought it to her stomach. "Another word out of you and I mean it."

He pulled her out of the coffee shop and into the street.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Sherlock was sitting downstairs on his computer when he heard a knock at the front door. He got up to answer it, making sure to put on his American accent. "Mr Sherlock Holmes." spoke the man at the door – who was holding a gun - when Sherlock answered it. "You are in trouble now."

Two gun shots erupted from two guns and Sherlock looked beyond the now dead man in the hallway to see two men holding guns. _"Mycroft." _ Sherlock complained to himself.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

When Irene decided she was safe from causing harm to anyone, she quickly grabbed the knife in Moran's hands and struggled with him before elbowing him and letting it drop. She ran and picked it up before continuing to run. He wasn't long in trying to catch up with her and then she hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway outside a restaurant.

She turned her phone on and then put it straight on silent. **"Norton knows." ** she texted Mycroft. **"Save Sherlock and the others."**

Moran began looking around for Irene. "Come out Adler, as an author you should know hiding never helps. Sherlock is probably lying dead in a pool of his own blood and you know who is going to die when I get back to Britain? John Watson. Then I will kill Martha Hudson; followed by Greg Lestrade. And finally I am going to kill you and your baby."

Irene began slide to the ground. She felt sick. **"We know. They're safe. Sherlock is looking for you."**

"Give it up you stupid little woman!" shouted Sebastian.

She could hear his footsteps getting closer and a tear ran from her left eye, and down her cheek. Then the back door to the restaurant opened and someone came out to put something in the dumpster. They didn't see her but she quickly threw a stone to stop the door from closing fully and then she crept inside the restaurant. She ran to the front of the establishment and out of the door. She didn't stop running until she got to her apartment building.

When she got to the elevator she repeatedly pressed the button to call it until it got to her and then she did the same with her floor button. When she got out of the elevator she saw police tape over her door.

"_I thought he was meant to be safe." _

She opened the door to find Sherlock in the middle of an argument with what looked like to her, two agents. Sherlock immediately looked over to her and took in a deep breath. Without thinking, he walked over to her and put his arms around her. "You're OK now. You're OK."

"I lost him but I don't know for how long."

"Can we go now?" one of the agents asked.

"In a minute I am busy!" Sherlock replied. "They were going to make me leave without you. But I said I wasn't. I need someone with a brain in my life."

"Can we go now?"

"NO! Irene pack your things they've found us for some reason. Don't bring too much though."

"Sherlock…"

"Do as I say, please- before someone else tries to hurt you!" Sherlock replied.

Irene ran upstairs, feeling ill and seconds later she had to run into the bathroom to be sick. When she recovered she grabbed her clothes and threw them into a rucksack. Then she grabbed Sherlock's coat and took it down to him.

"Ah thank you." Sherlock replied. She thought he was going to put it on and then he wrapped it around her.

"Are we going now?" the same agent asked as Sherlock took Irene's bag.

"Did you put your phone charger in here?" Sherlock asked Irene as he completely ignored the agent's question.

"Yes." Irene nodded.

"Let's go then."

"I'm sorry Sherlock. This is my fault"

"Don't flatter yourself, Woman." Sherlock replied as they made their way to the elevator.

When they got to the lobby downstairs ready to leave, a young teenager screamed. "Bomb! Bomb!"

Sherlock naturally had to investigate to find that the teenager was right. "Hmm…Simple wires. Easily dealt with."

He pulled a knife out of his shoe that Irene had bought him and began to inspect it. "Do me a favour, agent annoying person…Get my Woman out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you." Irene spoke.

"Please."

"I think you should leave with me mam, especially in your condition. My partner will stay with him." spoke the agent.

"Has Mycroft told everyone?" Irene snapped.

"What condition?" Sherlock asked.

"I went to the doctors and she said I was pregnant." Irene replied with a sigh. She knew Mycroft would tell him somehow if she didn't.

"Get her out now!" Sherlock ordered. "Get her out, and don't let her near this building. What were you thinking?"

The agent grabbed Irene's arm and began pulling her out. Sherlock turned to the bomb; angry - as Irene was taken to a car which was a five minute walk away from Irene's building.

Sherlock sighed as he thought. _"Only natural conclusion is the blue one."_

He cut it and took a deep breath. Suddenly the bomb switched off.

"This way Mr Holmes we haven't got long."

When he found Irene she tried to speak to him but he ignored her and stared out of the window. "Where are we going?" Irene asked.

"If you must know Mycroft is taking us back to England to a safe house. John is there…and Mrs Hudson. Lestrade refused to go but his windows have been boarded up."

"You'll see John again…"

"Not right now." Sherlock replied. "Not right now! I need to think about the stuff that matters!"

Irene swallowed. She had so much worry, and now she was seeing John who was probably going to be angry with her for knowing Sherlock was alive all that time without telling him. But most of all Sherlock was angry with her and she was extremely scared that she was going to be on her own.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

"Why is Moriarty's network after us?" John asked Mycroft in the afternoon of the next day. They were at the safe house just a few miles outside London. Mary was with them, and so was Mrs Hudson.

"Moriarty's network has been taken over by Godfrey Norton. Norton employed a Sebastian Moran to check up on you, every once in a while after Sherlock's death…"

"He was one of my patients."

"You see John?"

"Why though?"

"In case Sherlock came to you or so that if Sherlock was alive they could kill you. Very few people know what happened on the roof of Saint Bart's' hospital. Those few people are Molly Hooper, myself, Irene Adler and Sherlock."

"Well Sherlock is dead."

"Sherlock knew that you would be used as bait to complete Richard Brook's story and so he planned ahead, so that he could jump without dying. He jumped to save his friends. Save you John!"

"Did you say jump without dying?"

"He's still alive John."

"He's…No that's impossible! I felt his pulse…Molly did an autopsy…"

"You clearly did not listen to anything I said, John. The few people who know about the roof are Molly Hooper, myself, Irene Adler and Sherlock."

"Did you say Irene Adler?"

"Oh did I not tell you she's Sherlock's sweetheart."

"She knew Sherlock was alive?"

"John, calm down." Mary spoke up, putting her hand on his.

"I will not calm down..."

The door opened and John looked up. "Ah Mycroft, I see you have everything sorted out as usual. So you knew first?"

It was Sherlock's voice, John noticed. John stood up and moved to looked at the door. He came face to face with Sherlock who swallowed on seeing him. John clenched his fist and breathed through his teeth – inwards.

"Sherlock, you bastard! I saw you jump!"

"Sherlock…" began a female voice. John looked to see Irene.

"And you knew?" John asked. "You saw me suffering and not once did you say, he was alive!"

"Please, John…" began Irene.

"No! Don't…Just don't! I thought you were my friend, Irene. Sherlock I thought that you were my best friend."

"You didn't do too bad." Sherlock spoke. "You've done yourself well with your new girlfriend. High School teacher in Chemistry…"

"You begin deducing Mary, Sherlock and I don't care what your cheekbones do to me I will kill you."

"Sherlock…" began Irene.

"Not now!" Sherlock snapped.

"Can we talk, please?" Irene asked.

"NOT NOW!" he bawled.

John saw tears run down Irene's cheek. "Don't talk to her like that either!" John scolded. Irene looked up shocked.

Sherlock turned around to Irene and saw how upset she was. "Later." he replid before handing her a handkerchief.

"Just ignore her John she's stupid!" Sherlock spoke.

"Irene, sit down." Mycroft spoke kindly before leading her to a chair. "Is there anything you need?"

"No." Irene shook her head. "About that microchip Mycroft I am trying to think…"

"Don't worry about it just now." Mycroft replied.

"Thank you."

John didn't know who to shout at or what to do. Part of him wanted to hug Sherlock and part of him wanted to break every bone in his body.

"John to let you understand your life was in danger!" Sherlock insisted.

"I have had to bury my allies in battle! I didn't think I would have to bury you. Do you know how that made me feel? Did you Irene?"

"John, be as angry as you want with my brother, but please do not shout at Irene she's having a very stressful time at the moment. For starters she had to cope with my little brother for months and secondly she pulled her hands out of nails in the floor to stop you being killed John, I think this woman has done a lot for both you and Sherlock. Your quarrel is with him!" Mycroft butted in.

Irene was shocked; Mycroft was sticking up for her.

"If you didn't bury me John, I would have to have buried you. I did what I had to do. The Woman, did not know about my faking my death until I came to her. The only thing she is guilty for is being stupid."

"Could you say it to my face and actually discuss whatever problem you have with me?" Irene spoke up."

"Problem? I am glad you have realised I have one!"

"What because you always realise when I have mine?"

"I do actually. I may not understand them but I understand there is a problem. How many times did you knowingly put you and our child at risk?"

"It wasn't my fault." Irene replied.

"With the bomb it was. You lingered around. It could have gone off and you could have been killed."

"Sherlock…did you just say child?"

"Oh finally someone who doesn't know." spoke up Irene.

"Don't mind her John she's just pregnant." Sherlock spoke up.

John suddenly started laughing. "And you're saying it's yours…No offence Irene but Sherlock…No! Really?"

Sherlock drew him a look. "John, why do you laugh?" Mary asked.

"Because it's Sherlock…That would mean that…No…You? Really? Seriously?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Is our room set up, I think Irene needs to sleep?"

"Yes it's upstairs." Mycroft replied.

"I'll take her up." Mary spoke. "It's the one with the balcony isn't it?"

"Yes, that one." Mycroft replied.

When Mary and Irene were upstairs John turned to Sherlock. "So it's your baby then?"

"How many times do I have to go through this? Yes."

"How do you feel about that?" John inquired curiously. "Are you going to marry her? Do you love her?"

"The answers in order to your questions, John are: I don't know. I don't know. Umm…obviously."

"You've become human Sherlock. You've changed. You're still the same but you're different."

"That makes no logical sense."

"It's you we are talking about Sherlock." John replied.

"Might I interrupt a moment? I think that Irene has been put under strain recently and I think it best that tomorrow she get checked out at the hospital to check on the child. Until then John could you apologise to her."

"Apologise to her? Why?" John asked. "She lied to me."

"I thought I made it clear to you what happened." Mycroft and Sherlock said in unison.

The two brothers drew each other an off look before turning to John who was also frightened by it. "Mrs Hudson is outside in the garden. Shall I break the news that you're alive to her?" John asked. "You could have given me a clue I wouldn't have let your secret get spilled."

"It was for your own safety, John. Now it's broke because of me and I'm sorry but I am going to fix it. I am so sorry, John. I am sorry!"

"You're apologising so pleadingly. Are you sure you are Sherlock?"

"It's me!"

"Yes. But just because you have apologised does not mean I have accepted it. Oh and I better get to be godfather to your son or daughter and don't you dare think that's me saying it's OK because it's not. Oh and if you and Irene do get married I want to be your best man and if I get married to Mary you better be mine!"

"John I could die anytime soon…"

"Don't you start! Don't you dare start!"

John stormed upstairs to stop himself from punching Sherlock. Sherlock sighed.

"Well, brother you seem to have gotten yourself into a very difficult dilemma."

"You were being very nice to my Woman weren't you?"

"Someone had to be! The way you treated her just then was appalling! You should be ashamed of yourself Sherlock."

Sherlock mimicked him and earned a scowl in return.

"She's going to have a hard time for the next few months as it is, without your attitude adding to the dilemma. Stop behaving like a child! I'll send a helicopter for you in the morning to bring you into my office. It's time to finish Norton off once and for all. But first of all you get upstairs and apologise to Irene."

Mycroft slammed the front door closed on his way out and Sherlock sighed, before making his way upstairs. He found his and Irene's room easily and he went inside to find her sitting at the edge of the bed.

"You should be resting." Sherlock stated.

"I was thinking."

"Don't do that you'll give yourself a headache and I mean that kindly not that you're stupid."

"But you're right Sherlock I am stupid. I did put my baby at risk. I couldn't bear to live without you that's all. I didn't think…But I couldn't cope without you."

Sherlock sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry and I know that saying sorry does not automatically mean you'll forgive me. But I am. I love you."

She put her head on Sherlock's shoulder and whispered to him. "I love you too."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

John walked down to the living room the next morning to find Irene sitting on a chair next to the window. She was lost in thought and drinking coffee. John sat on the sofa and coughed to announce his presence. She looked around when she heard him, and stared at him with sorrow filled eyes, that did make John feel guilty for shouting at her the night before. His anger was really with Sherlock, and she was just in the way.

She sat her cup down on the table next to her and then she went to speak. "Don't bother." John spoke, stopping her. She looked up at him for a moment before looking out of the window and into the garden. In the distraction of the recent fiascos she had not taken in the outside surroundings before to realise that they were secluded away in the middle of nowhere.

"Aren't you frightened about the baby?" John asked suddenly. Irene looked around to John. She did not hear him properly but he had spoken to her.

"Say that again, I didn't hear you." she replied, her voice quiet so she didn't wake anyone up.

"Are you frightened about the baby?" John repeated.

"Very." she replied honestly, before bowing her head.

"I don't blame you. After all it is Sherlock's and he himself is immature, selfish and ignorant. He is a child himself and I am sure you've realised that the past few months you've been hiding him." John stated with somewhat of a mutual understanding tone in his voice that could only be gained by having to put up with Sherlock's antics for a little more than a year.

Irene stood up and walked over to the fireplace. "He missed you, John. He really did. But he had no choice. He had to go into hiding. Or else they would have killed you, they would have killed Lestrade, and Mrs Hudson.

She put her hand to her forehead, as she began to develop a headache and as the morning light shined through the window it made the mark on that hand even more visible. Then he remembered what Mycroft said the night before. "You were nailed to the floor?" John inquired.

Irene immediately put her hands out in front of her and looked. She could see the scars on both sides of each hand. "Yeah, but…"

"You ripped your hands out? Why? Mycroft said…"

"It doesn't matter it was two months ago. Life goes on. They'll fade with time."

"Was he alright, those months? Did he cope with the adjusting into staying with you?"

"No. He didn't. He missed you and Mrs Hudson for one."

"What was he like to live with?"

"Well he had his own room when he came. He used to lock himself away for days. The longest he spent time in there for was two months. I was constantly worried about his sanity. He needed stimulus. It's not just a drug for him. It's part of him and he'd lost himself."

She sat back down before continuing. "Do you know he was broken? He'd been blackmailed and he was lost and I felt so sorry for him."

"What about me? I'd lost my best friend."

"And I felt sorry for you too. I swear and if I thought that you'd be safe I would have provided you with some clue of him being alive, John I swear."

"Start from the beginning when did you find out he was alive?"

"Do you remember when I came to see you a few weeks before I was doing my book signing?"

John nodded.

"Well I went to Bart's and there was evidence on the roof to suggest that someone else had died there. The blood splatter I found with the U.V. Light suggested that someone had been killed. It was not Sherlock because he hit the pavement or so he was meant to have and I assumed it was Moriarty. Then I thought if Moriarty was dead why would Sherlock jump. So I naturally assumed he had been blackmailed. I suspected that he might be alive because I was hoping he was. He is a remarkable man and I did fall in love with him before I even met him and then I forgot about him and I moved on, rarely thinking about him. Then I saw the papers and I couldn't believe it. I knew he wasn't a fake. I just knew. Then at my book signing he came to me and then I took him for something to eat and then I took him back to my hotel and then we waited weeks for his passport to get sorted and then after that I took him to Newark and then time moved on and I ended up at the Pentagon and I met Mycroft and he told me he knew and then I almost got killed and he saved my life and then we went on a plane together to Paris to get away from Norton who was coming to New Jersey and I had a crazy stalker who was really someone hired to kill me and Sherlock saved me again. My feelings for him were clouding my judgement but I was also angry at him…all the time."

She sighed at her last statement before continuing. "Then in Paris that was when I finally lost it with him and told him I loved him."

"What happened after that?" John asked curiously.

"He kissed me. **He **kissed **me**."

"Knowing your luck someone walked in at that time." John thought aloud.

Irene laughed. "Yes. Someone did. Mycroft."

"You've very bad luck."

"Turned out that Mycroft was there because of some microchip and also because of the reason that I ended up with these scars and he wanted to see his little brother. So the next morning I met Mycroft for a meeting and he told me that Sherlock had not always been a sociopath. It happened when his mother died."

"He must get affected by things as bad as us then?" deduced John.

"Yes, and his feelings are bruised when people call him a freak. I swear though if just one person calls him that in front of me I will kill them."

"You love him don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" Irene replied. "If he didn't speak he'd be perfect."

"I know." John replied. "Although when he thought you were dead that time he didn't and it was heart breaking to see him like that."

"We'll never get an in between Sherlock. Never ever. He is either completely utterly a bastard or a completely utterly the kindest man you'll ever meet."

"Yeah. Everything is in the extreme with him. So, you decided on names with Sherlock, yet? I know it's fairly recent but…wait a minute how long are you pregnant?"

"About five weeks." Irene replied.

"I am not saying you'd cheat on him but I can't believe that the baby is Sherlock's."

"Why not? He's a human being, after all."

"But it's Sherlock!" John replied.

"Sherlock is capable of human emotions and actions and he's better at them than people give him credit for. Perhaps he doesn't show them often because he would make himself vulnerable to be hurt and mocked and treated terribly."

"You understand him."

"I was like Sherlock at some point, except I let the emotions get to me. Even though I didn't show them. Sherlock had something to prosper for. He had Mycroft. I lost my father and I had no one. I tried to kill myself and comparing it to the way Sherlock behaves it is understandable, why he behaved the way that he did."

"Your mother was dead too?" John asked.

Irene twirled her necklace. "Yes, she died when I was very little. I don't remember her. This is her's. My father gave it to me quite close to my fifteenth birthday. It's a locket but it never opens. He told me not too or it will break. So I have never imagined opening it."

"Where is Sherlock?" John asked.

"He's upstairs, sleeping or pretending to be. He's tired too. I don't think he knows what to think about the child. I don't think he knows how to be father except to protect him or her. He was so angry with me for putting the baby at risk and it's understandable. He's not going to be the father who will tell bedtime stories or play games but I know at least that he'll be there for something. Education maybe."

"What about you?"

"I'm scared that I won't be there for my child. I lost my mother and then my father. I don't want that happening to my baby."

"Mycroft said he wants you to go to the hospital to get a check-up, and make sure the baby is alright. Do you want me to come with you? I am a doctor and I'll be able to translate what they say."

"I'll be fine on my own. I am used to doing things on my own anyway."

"Do you want me to talk to Sherlock, and…"

"I thought you were angry at him."

"I am but still…"

Irene smiled. "I'll talk to him eventually. I better go and check on him."

She got up and walked to the foot of the stairs case, ready to go up.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"What hospital did you send her to?" Sherlock asked immediately when Anthea led him into Mycroft's office.

"A private hospital we had set up for family of agents. If they were at risk and needed health care it was important to have it. I assure you she will be taken care of."

"So, how are we going to go about this Norton affair. Are we just going to send in a nuclear launch or what?" Sherlock mocked.

"I do hope you are not mocking my job again." Mycroft commented, before sitting down in his chair as his brother walked to the window.

"Emm…Mycroft…I think you should know…"

Sherlock sighed as he thought about what Irene had said to him. _"Remember try and be nice to Mycroft he's doing his upmost best to help you out here."_

"Well I think that…you do a very good job here. This place would have fallen if it wasn't for you and I don't think anyone would live up to your standards if you were to resign."

"Tell Irene thank you." Mycroft replied before standing up.

Mycroft smiled and picked up his mobile. "Even if we take Norton down which is easy to do we can't take down the whole network without names and then there is our little problem about Sebastian Moran."

"Yes."

"We got footage Sherlock. He put a knife to Irene's stomach to threaten her."

"Why?"

She grabbed a knife and stabbed his shoulder and then took the gun from him and put it to his neck."

"So she knowingly risked herself and the child's life…."

"How do you feel about the child and I want honesty Sherlock."

"I don't know."

"For starters do you want a son or a daughter?"

"It wasn't my intention for her to end up pregnant in the first place, if that is what you mean."

Mycroft rolled his eyes. "Sherlock, what about now that you know…"

"There is some advantages to it. A child of both Irene's mind and my own is an excellent experiment and it will be educational to see it grow."

"A child is a blessing Sherlock. Not a science project."

"Well it's woman's job to see it as a blessing not mine. It's all her fault anyway."

Mycroft put his hand on his forehead to try and process that statement. "Sherlock must you continue to be so ignorant and childish. It may be Irene's first born she's having but you're her first child."

"How am I?"

"Sherlock, don't you see how much you've been behaving like a child? You shout one moment at Irene and the next want to play chess with her and by the way why on earth have you created a video gaming account?"

"I was bored." Sherlock replied.

"Do you see what I mean? What happened to the days when my brother would spend his evenings in our library?"

Sherlock went to answer but Mycroft stopped him. "It was a rhetorical question, Sherlock. You need to shape up, Sherlock. But first of all, Sebastian Moran."

Mycroft dropped a top secret file in front of Sherlock. "Take a look."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

When Sherlock finally got back to the safe house Mrs Hudson was downstairs, and he suddenly remembered that he had not seen her yet. He began to think of the best way to approach the situation. He loved Mrs Hudson like a second mother, and he didn't want to upset her more than he had – not mention Irene had taught him that sometimes things had to be said in a less straightforward manner, to not upset someone.

"Mrs, Hudson." Sherlock began.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene sat out in the garden in the afternoon when she got back, half expecting to be alone but Sherlock came and sat on the chair beside her. "Hi." Irene smiled.

Sherlock just nodded in reply. "Mrs Hudson, took it **better** than John did."

"Right, and how did she take it when not comparing it to John?"

"Put it this way she didn't threaten to kill me, but she did shout a lot! Then when she was done with that, she hugged me and then she slapped me and then hugged me again and then slapped me again."

"I know what she is going through. I don't know whether to hug or slap you sometimes. Is her hands alright?"

"She's fine, Mary is with her. What about you, are on speaking terms with John, yet?"

"I don't know. I mean we talked this morning but I still think there is some resentment."

"He'll forgive you, eventually."

"One would hope." Irene replied, sadly.

"Irene." Mary spoke as she came into the garden. "I was wondering if you wanted to play cards with me?"

"I'd love to." Irene replied, before following Mary inside. Sherlock remained outside, staring at his shadow on the ground as he thought about everything Mycroft had said.

**[Flashback]**

"Sebastian Moran was one of our own, once. He was the best of the best. Now, he's gone rouge and we think he supplied a lot of information to Norton or perhaps even Moriarty. We do know that his interests don't necessarily lie with Norton's. He was Moriarty's man, and he is perhaps even more dangerous than, Norton. Moran has a mind of his own when he needs it. He is dangerous, Sherlock. I do hope you're taken this in with your consulting detective mind and attitude and not your five year old one."

"Wouldn't getting rid of both Norton and Moran put the network in to chaos and end it?"

"We need names, Sherlock. We need to know whom. It has powerful connections everywhere in the world."

"There is something that we can do." Sherlock said an hour later, after sitting in silence. "But, I will end up with a lot of hate from everyone, again. Unless, you explain the plan to them."

"What is it, Sherlock?"

**[End of Flashback]**

He walked to the back door of the house and listened to what Irene was saying to Mary.

"So, any luck finding your father yet?" Irene asked Mary.

"I have looked for him for all these years. Still, there is no sign of him being alive. I don't want to say I've given up, I have just stopped looking."

"I am sorry to hear that, perhaps Sherlock could help when things are sorted. I am sorry that you have had to…"

"I quit that school anyway. It was a hard place, none of the other teachers were coming, and there was always someone sick and I ended up doing the job of the principal teacher without getting paid for it. Absolutely disgusted with it and they would not help."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well when things have cooled over I'll either be a private tutor for kids struggling with the school work to give them extra support or I'll find a decent school. Have you decided where you and Sherlock are going to stay after this?"

"I don't care where I stay really as long as I am with him. I think he'd want to stay back here in England rather than across the pond."

"So, you're just willing to give up your life for him then?"

"As, I told his brother I would die for him!"

"What about the baby? Doesn't that complicate things? You can't go risking everything for him now."

"I know, and it's not fair that I have left such a burden on his shoulders." Irene replied. "But, at the end of the day he's all I've got and I would break down if I lost him."

Sherlock walked back into the garden and swallow, as a tear ran down his cheek. It had not happened since before he jumped off of the roof at Bart's. He had cried because he was given up his life to hide, he was going to lose touch with his friend and he had given up in some way. Now, was similar.

"_I am sorry, Irene."_

The Next Day

"John, can I see you?" Mycroft asked when he made his way into the living room in the safe house.

"Me? Why?" John asked.

"Please." Mycroft asked again.

"Fine." John sighed.

"Where did Sherlock go?" Irene asked Mycroft.

"He's away at my office."

"Oh, he never said he was going…"

Mycroft smiled. "Why don't you and Mary go outside." he suggested. He needed privacy to talk to John.

Later on that night

Sherlock, John and Anthea began walking through the ministry's car park. "Well, I must say that was boring." John began.

Sherlock nodded as a black car came and picked them up. "Where are we going, Anthea?" John asked.

"Scotland Yard car park. You are going to see Greg Lestrade." Anthea replied. She looked to the driver and winked before getting into the car with Sherlock and John. She remained on her blackberry. **"I am so glad you put aside our differences Anthea. I have always liked you, and you'll forever be my money penny! It's time to take them down! I don't care if Watson leaves alive, just kill Holmes! Ignore Norton's wants! SM." **

She looked to Sherlock and then to the window. **"I am sorry it took me so long to forgive you. You'll forever be my Mr Bond!" she replied.**

She twiddled with the pendant that she was wearing. Mycroft had bought it for her birthday. She didn't expect to get a present from him, none of the other PAs got anything but she took it all the same, gratefully.

When the car pulled over it wasn't in Scotland Yard. "Emm…Where are we?" John asked Sherlock.

"I have not got a clue." Sherlock replied.

"Out!" Anthea ordered.

"But…" began John, until Anthea removed a gun from her bag. "Out!"

They were at the docks, and there was a boat waiting for them. "Keep going!"

"Anthea, I am surprised at you. I thought you were loyal to my brother!" Sherlock mocked.

"Yeah, what he said!" John spoke.

Anthea laughed. "Restrain, Dr Watson while I take Mr Holmes to the boat!"

"I am not going!" Sherlock shouted.

"Norton would like to see you!" Anthea replied. _"And Sebastian wants you dead. This is more complicated than I thought. I just hope to god I can pull that trigger."_

Sherlock pulled a gun out from his jacket and pointed it at Anthea. "Stop!" Anthea ordered. "Or you will not be taken alive!"

"Would you really shoot me Anthea and upset Mycroft?"

Anthea pulled the trigger and Sherlock landed in the boat, as crimson appeared on his chest. Anthea took a deep breath and removed a walke talkie. "You know what to do!"

John elbowed his captor and removed the gun, before hitting him over the head with it and knocking him unconscious and the he pointed at Anthea. "How could you!"

A boat came along and took Sherlock away. "He's dead!" a mercenary announced to the rest of them."

"Thank you." Sebastian smiled. "Toss him over the side!"

Anthea was restrained by Watson as a police car came along, followed by another black car. "I am disappointed in you, Anthea!" Mycroft spoke.

"Is that all you can say!" John bawled.

"Someone, get a shock blanket for him! Get someone to drag the water! Find him!" Mycroft ordered.

"And I was wanting to see him again too." Lestrade thought aloud.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

John could not completely tell how Irene took the news from the way she held herself. But he knew deep down inside that she was hurting so badly and now he was in her shoes, the shoes that he had shouted at her for wearing. _"I am so sorry, Irene. So, so sorry." John thought. _

Irene stood up and walked to the window. "And his body?"

"Mycroft had someone in his own government declare…"

John swallowed and let Irene finish it herself. "When can I see him?" she asked.

"He said he doesn't know when, but he thinks you might be safer, moving to another safe house. I have not told Mrs Hudson yet, about his death. I will just say he's busy. She's just got around him being alive again."

"No, don't' tell her! Don't tell her at all!" Irene replied.

She frantically began pacing up and down. "One more time for me John if you will…" began Irene.

John stood up and led her to the chair. "No! You need to rest! You can't put any more pressure on yourself. The doctor at the hospital said that after what you have been through it is luck you didn't lose the baby and I do not want to that happen."

"He's not dead John. He's not dead." Irene said over and over again afterwards.

"Irene, I saw it this time, Sebastian Moran's men…"

"If deaths could be faked in dark ages it can be done now! So don't give me that crap, John. I have to believe that he's faked it, because if I don't, then I am alone and my son or daughter will be down a parent - and as a child who has suffered that I know how hard it is. You, see photos of someone you love and you don't even know them and I should be the one down at the morgue identifying the body."

"No, I did! Molly did, and Mycroft did. That's enough."

"No, no…You said that the driver of the car that took you there and shot him?"

"Yes." John replied. "It's not a case needing to be solved it's over with and you're not going to think about it, OK?"

"John…" Mary spoke. "Irene has to go now."

"No." Irene replied. "I am not going anywhere…"

"You need to."

"But if I go to Cardiff, who is going to stay and find Moran and Norton. I am the only who can help take him down now. I know how he thinks! I know how Norton thinks! He's a bastard! I can help!"

"Irene, calm down!" John replied.

"He's not dead!"

"Come on." Mary spoke. "I'll be staying with you anyway. We need to go while they're not expecting you to leave."

When Irene left John sat down and let how a sigh. He felt guilty for doing that, and once again he knew how she felt. He knew. _"God, that poor woman! The Woman, as Sherlock would say. I knew that bastard loved her." _

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Sebastian waited a while on Anthea to appear again. When she met him, at the docks he smiled. "You made it?"

She nodded. "I escaped."

Sebastian walked over and kissed her, and Anthea felt revolted but she kissed back. Because she knew in her head it was all for Mycroft. It was to save his little brother. "Let's go!" Moran shouted to the rest of his man. "Norton is not angry at you, I made sure of that. How did our pathologist in the ministry declare him?"

"Dead." Anthea replied.

Moran patted her shoulder. "Good shot. I see my training you in earlier years did not go to waste and yet you stayed on that blackberry. Why?"

"I got paid a lot from my boss. I wanted to be independent. That's why I didn't take up your offer before but…I have missed you."

"I missed you too Anthea." Sebastian replied.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Five Hours Later

Sherlock sat on the floor in his old room, in his brother's country home. He felt guilty, severely guilty. But his worse fear was that Irene would not accept it. But he had no choice, he had to think of her safety from Moran as the plan he and Mycroft had thought up, went into action. But, it was going to take a few more months of waiting, and that broke his heart. Yes, that heart which he had so keenly ignored for such a long time. When he let it be accepted all the pain that had built up all those years since his mother's death came back at once and Irene had helped. Just by being there and accepting him.

"Sherlock, Irene is in Cardiff. She's safe now. But we've got people keeping an eye on things. Is there anything I can do to help?" Mycroft asked, knocking on Sherlock's door.

"Rewind back time." Sherlock replied.

"I wish I could." Mycroft replied.

"Is she OK?" Sherlock asked. "I mean mentally not physically."

"She's not alright, Sherlock." Mycroft replied honestly. "But, I'll make sure that she'll be alright."

"What about Anthea? Will she be alright?"

"I know, Anthea, she will be. If our plan goes ahead, I will see her in a month."

"I'm sorry, I know how much you like her."

"Yes." Mycroft replied.

"And Irene is she alright?"

"You already asked me that, Sherlock." Mycroft replied worried. He thought he could hear his brother give a teary sniff. "Can't you tell her?"

"Tell her and have her risk it all, trying to contact you. No! Or you risking it all to contact her for that matter."

"Yeah." Sherlock agreed.

"I'm here if you want to talk to me about it."

"Do you remember when umm…It doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Sherlock."

"When I thought The Woman was dead and it was Christmas. You found what seemed to be her body and we had a smoke outside the morgue. I said 'Look at them. They care so much.' You said that caring was not advantage. You were right, it hurts, Mycroft it hurts."

"I said it was not an advantage but what I meant was that it is not an advantage to care and allow it to cloud your judgement. You have to be able to do both, especially with your mind, Sherlock. And you have! You just need to grow up a bit. Are you going to let me inside?"

"No."

"I did not realise how much you really cared about Adler then. I understood that you were somewhat interested in her, but I thought it was just her challenge. When, you went to her after faking your death I realised, but before that I knew she was in love with you."

"Have you still got that chess board in the library?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes."

"Would you like a game?"

"Of, course I would, Sherlock."

TBC

**a/n before I get another horrible comment from an anon, don't even bother I can delete them! Why would someone read up to chapter five before deciding that Irene being pregnant with Sherlock's baby was a 'thumbs down' and that I was on 'crack'. It was obvious in the second chapter that she was, and there was quite a few obvious signs before it and in the prequel I did say, that he would have a child! So don't bother reading flamers if you aren't happy. It's a fan fic and a man like Sherlock does not go through what he went through without changing. Rant over! **

**A big thank you to the kind reviewers. You all know who you are. I don't mind critiques, and correction making etc but flames because they don't like Sherlene drives me nuts. **


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday 6th March 2013 (One Month Later)

Mycroft sighed as he signed another sheet of paper work. He looked up as the door to his office opened. "Sir, we have had a break in." his temporary PA announced. "In the tech room."

Mycroft let out a large sigh. "I don't do break ins." he replied.

"But, sir, Arndell says you might want to see who was doing the breaking in."

"Really?" Mycroft asked, sounding uninterested.

"He said to mention the name Anthea to you."

"Oh, of course, tell him I'll be down in a moment."

"Yes, sir." she replied.

Mycroft made his way down to the interrogation room. He stepped inside and sat down in front of her. "Hello, Anthea."

"She was caught trying to steal this from our mainframe computer." spoke Arndell as he sat down a rectangular shape object.

"Major backing storage device. Small, but powerful. Why were you trying to steal this? This has information of all our protection program information on it. Is, that what Norton has asked you to do?"

Anthea remained quiet, staring at the table. "Give me a moment alone, with her Arndell!" Mycroft ordered.

Arndell left, and Mycroft pulled his chair up beside her, putting the device in his waistcoat pocket. "Anthea, we have ways of extracting information from you. You should know that, shouldn't you?"

He felt sick, talking to her like that. He only hoped she remembered it was all a major ruse and not him actually meaning it.

He leaned in closer as if he was interrogating. "Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly, sir." she replied, through gritted teeth.

He stood up and removed the device from his pocket again, flipping it in the air when he did. "So, Anthea…Why did you break in to tech room?"

She remained quiet.

Mycroft sighed. "If you tell us what you know then perhaps we can help you!"

Anthea laughed. "That never happens; I should know, shouldn't I?" she retorted, her eyes showing fury. She thanked her time at drama school.

Mycroft leaned across the table and looked directly into Anthea's eyes. "Unless, you answer my questions I will make sure that you never see the light of day again! Then, there is your little sister, getting ready to go to university. I'll make sure she'll not get in to one…"

He really did feel sick now. Anthea let out a deflated sigh. "I hate her anyway!" she replied, with a laugh. That was her sign to Mycroft that still remembered it was all just part of the plot.

"I don't think that you really think that! I should know; I have a little brother. Or I had until you shot him."

"He was asking for it." Anthea replied.

"And the mother of his child has returned to America as she hides from the network. Does that make you proud?"

"I don't care about Norton and his petty little domestics with Irene Adler, all I care about is Sebastian and at the end of the day that won't matter because in ten minutes time, Sebastian is going to be putting his skills to the test."

"He's going to kill, Norton?" Mycroft asked.

"If he doesn't miss, that is." Anthea replied.

"_Everything is on plan. Moran is in his false sense of security; with Norton down Moran will eradicate the weakling's and bring the network down to a selection. My brother and I should work together more often."_

Mycroft walked out of interrogation and Arndell took the chip out of his hands. "I'll need to get that into the computer, sir."

Mycroft smiled when he got to his office. He picked up his desk phone and made a necessary phone call. "…Make sure they are both identical!...One of them is going to my house and the other to Pentonville Prison. Yes, thank you."

"Sir, there is a Miss Adele Enri on the phone for you."

"Put her through at once!" Mycroft ordered.

The phone rang and he answered it. "Yes, Adele?" he asked. "…I told you before that there is absolutely no need to worry about that…Oh, you have?...It might be a few days before I can properly deal with it, but I will get to you…Take care, dear."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene put her mobile down on her bedroom table before beginning to brush her hair. She stared at the opened locket, of her mother's. The one her father had told her not to open in case it broke. It was not broke, and she had not looked at it to question it because he'd told her it would break and she believed him, but another sleepless night without Sherlock, and the developing depression that was building up got her over analysing and thinking. And, she wanted to see Mycroft again – the microchip would be an excuse. He only phoned now and then. The first time he did was to tell her he had a new PA, and she was not to use her real name.

Irene wondered what happened with Anthea. But what she was questioning most was why John did not come, with her and Mary to Cardiff, and why she couldn't attend Sherlock's funeral. She knew they were hiding something, and the more she questioned it the more she was told to settle down. She was only pregnant by around ten weeks, and already people were telling her what to do, and what not to do.

She stood up and made her way downstairs to find Mary talking to John, who was using a payphone to call the safe house. She made her way back upstairs, and she stood and stared out the window. She had gathered John was helping Mycroft with the network, but she didn't know how and she didn't know what.

She walked over to the locket and made sure the microchip was secure before placing it inside the locket and putting it back on around her neck.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Norton, was in his car, being driven to a meeting to have 'chat' with a few 'clients'. "You have to hate spring, Alonso." Norton spoke. "Roundabouts, and grassy areas filled with daffodils. I hate flowers!"

"Yes, sir." Alonso replied.

"Any luck trying to get a hold of that damn, Moran, yet?" Norton asked.

"None, at all sir."

"Who does he think he is sending, that dumb woman on a mission anyway? If, it was not for the both of us being ex government agents then we'd have nothing in common."

"Yes, sir."

"He, is obsessed with trying to bring my network back to the old ways. James Moriarty left it in a bad way, and I've fixed it and built upon it. The problem was that Jim had no ambition or dreams. Just plans, that he knew he was able carry out."

Suddenly there was the sound of braking glass, and then the car suddenly skidded off the road and toppled over and over.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Molly had just finished the autopsy on the bodies in the traffic accident and on paper that was all it was ever going to be – a simple traffic accident that no one would question.

"Is it definitely him?" John asked Molly, as he came into the autopsy room.

"It's him. I also have his clothes. I found this inside his suit pocket."

John took it from Molly. It was a photo of Irene, standing on a bridge.

"I have seen her before. Almost a year ago she was on the roof, and…" began Molly. "Well I think she must have been working for him…"

"No." John shook his head. "The only person she is guilty for helping out or doing anything for is, Sherlock. He went to her after he faked his death, and she looked after him. She was devastated by his death the first time when he faked it and she's severely depressed the second time. It must be hard with the baby…."

"Baby?" Molly questioned.

John just smiled. He suddenly realised he had said too much. Out of him and Sherlock, John was the only one to realise that Molly had feelings for, Sherlock."

"How did he die?" John asked.

"Well his driver was shot." Molly spoke, in the head by a bullet. "I have logged the evidence, for Sherlock's brother Mycroft. But, when the car crashed, a piece of glass from the rear window, flew at him and pierced his carotid artery. There was also severe blunt force trauma to his head, which could have also killed him, but going from the run of the blood the bang on the head was afterwards. He was bleeding out, and then the hit on the head was the final straw. I also have a broken PDA of Norton's, that I am sure could be fixed by a group of hi-tech people in the secret agent place…."

"Well, it wouldn't surprise me." John replied. "Thank, you, Molly."

"So he is definitely gone this time?" Molly asked.

"Yes." John replied.

"That Woman…Was she Sherlock's girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't say girlfriend, but she was The Woman. His woman."

"So that baby is…"

"Thanks for all of you help, Molly." John replied.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"Hello, John." Mycroft greeted the Army Doctor.

"This is from Molly, and her report is in there too."

John handed Mycroft a photo. "Molly found this, I thought I would give it to you in case, Sherlock wanted it."

"I'll make sure that he gets it."

"How is he?"

"Getting there. It's trying to make sure he keeps patience, and faith."

"What about, Moran?"

"Everything is going as planned. I await his mind game, now. In a couple of months' time, we'll be able to bring Irene and Mary back. Moran has no interest in her, from what Anthea has told me. His only interest was in having, Sherlock dead which was why he needed her in the first place. Norton, did not want her dead either. I think by the fact he still had that photograph shows at least some little sign of obsession with her."

"Why did he sleep with a member of the royal family, then?" John asked.

"You know I can't fully disclose the details of what went on. To be frank I don't even care about their little scandal."

"There was only one thing, Sherlock cared about in that scandal."

"Yes, indeed."

"I'm going to go and check on Mrs, Hudson now."

Mycroft nodded and sat down at his desk.

**TBC**

**A/N Thank you to everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

Monday, 13th May

Mycroft returned home, that day to find Sherlock in the living room, reading a book as he sat next to the fire. "How are we today?"

"I can't answer for everyone but I myself am fine." Sherlock replied.

"Really: so, why on earth is the toast from your breakfast still on its plate, on the coffee table? It has been hours, Sherlock since I left. You've not eaten, and you've not drank anything. I hardly think you've even moved, and I am not going to pander to your needs and force you to eat or drink. I am not Irene, I am not John and I do not have that kind of patience, despite doing it for so many years. My concern however is the reasons behind it."

Sherlock breathed in through his nose, before standing up and walking to the window. "How are John and Mary?"

"They are fine. Mary has begun a teaching post in a public school for girls and John has started up his practice again, Moran has no interest in them anymore. He never did. It was getting revenge on you. He knew you sort of pushed Moriarty into his suicide.

"I don't want to talk about what happened, on the roof." Sherlock replied with nonchalance. Mycroft, however knew that Sherlock was not indifferent to that subject of the roof.

"Irene, is in Baker Street too." Mycroft replied.

"Really?" Sherlock asked.

"She's alright. I finally got the microchip off of her. She found it a little while ago but I just got around to getting it off of her."

"Has Moran been in touch?"

"Repeatedly today. Yes, he's falling into it alright. Anthea has been slipping him false information from her cell, via his inside men. We just need to bide our time now, Sherlock."

"I wish time would move faster." Sherlock stated. "Get this ordeal over with. I am bored."

"You've been good, Sherlock don't spoil it."

Mycroft walked to the living room door and before he left, he could swear he saw Sherlock look at a photograph he was holding in his hands. Mycroft swallowed and left, beforeheading upstairs.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Baker Street

_Irene began walking through her loft in New Jersey. "Sherlock!" she called out._

"_I'm here!" he replied. She looked around and suddenly noticed him, sitting at the chessboard. She smiled and walked over to him. "Are you bored?"_

"_Very."_

_She sat down and moved one of her pawns forward. "Your turn, dear."_

"_You shouldn't leave me for shopping, anyway. You know I get bored without you."_

"_Thank you."_

_"Your, welcome, Woman."_

_Irene smiled and she went to move another piece. But the sound of the window breaking made her stop and when she looked over to Sherlock he was dead, with a bullet in his head,_ and then she woke up.

She began breathing heavily while adjusting to her surroundings. Then she let her head hit the pillow as tears streamed down her face. Every morning when she woke up – and when she woke up at night – she still expected to see him there, either sleeping or lying awake while staring at the ceiling, but he wasn't and it was breaking her heart.

After lying in bed for an hour, she got up and went downstairs to the living room and began looking around the flat. She opened a drawer the window to find, a book familiar to her. It was the final book in her series that she'd signed for, Sherlock. She had always wondered why he didn't have that one with his other books.

She opened it up and read what she said and once again there were tears escaping from her eyes. She stood for a while staring at it until deciding to put it back where it was.

Suddenly she heard footsteps, on the stairs and she turned around and took a deep breath. "Who is there?" she whispered.

"It's me." the owner of the footsteps replied. John.

"Did I wake you?" Irene asked apologetically.

"No, you didn't I couldn't sleep."

John switched the light on and saw she'd been crying. He sighed. _"Sherlock, you've always got to be a bastard when you play the hero, don't you?"_

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea, paced up and down in her cell as she waited on the night guard to come, who was really working for Sebastian Moran. When he passed her cell, she slipped a note through the bit at the bottom as she usually did.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

The next morning the door to Moran's study opened and the night guard from the previous night walked over and put the note on his desk, before quietly making his way out. When he was gone, Moran looked up and read the note.

"**Still asking why I tried to steal the BSD. We're safe, he doesn't know about the plant in the chip, yet. I will see you September 20****th****. Anthea."**

Sebastian tossed it on the desk. "Oh you are so foolish Mycroft Holmes. So, very foolish. He opened up his drawer and removed a transmitting device. "September 20th. Until then, Mycroft Holmes."

He put it back in his drawer and closed the door.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Mary began arranging her briefcase for, the school day, ahead. She couldn't help but look at Irene with pity. "Irene, you need to get some sleep. It's killing me to see you, like this."

"I do try, Mary. But then I wake up and can't get back to sleep."

"You need something, to stop you thinking about Sherlock but something that will keep you remembering him at the same time."

"I don't spend every moment of my life thinking about, Sherlock, Mary. I do have other things in my life accept him."

"I don't mean to be horrible, but have you? You lost both of your parents, and I can't understand that and how alone it makes you no matter how many people you are surrounded by and after being a social outcast all of your life, you meet the one person who understands you and cares and they fill that gap…"

"I am sorry, Mary. I forget that you've gone through it all. I guess we're all outcasts here. But, I'm fine. I'll be fine, really."

Mary smiled, and picked up her suitcase from the table. "I'll see you later. If you need me, call me. Try and get some sleep."

When Mary was gone, Irene made her way back up to her room, which had been Sherlock's – and then to her bag. She removed her purse and found her new bank cards which were assigned to a bank account in the name of Adele Enri. Mycroft had changed her bank details, so that she'd be able to automatically have any money she earned from her books transferred to Adele's. He was still taking some security precautions.

She then grabbed her coat and put it on, before heading downstairs. "Where are you going?" John asked as soon as she got to the door.

"I'm just going out, for a while. I think I am going to get a new laptop. After all, I need it to write my new book."

"You be careful!" John ordered.

"I'll be fine, Mycroft's probably got better surveillance on me than he has on the Queen." Irene replied, with a small laugh.

TBC

**A/N Thanks everyone, for all the responses to this. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Irene locked herself away in her room when she got back and began to type into the new laptop's word processor.

_There once lived, a handsome detective who was not a police man. But, when the police couldn't figure out who had done bad things, even after all the hard work they done trying, they would come and speak to the detective. The detective would visit the scene of the crimes that had been committed. This was no ordinary detective, however._

_He was very, very clever and he enjoyed helping the police. It made him feel special. He rarely felt special, because people called him a freak, and they thought him completely different from the rest of the world because he said that he did not have a heart. He did have a heart, but and he was just pretending he didn't so that he wouldn't get his feelings hurt. The last time he let anyone see he was sad was when his mother died. His elder brother looked after him, until he finished all his school work and made sure that he was alright, but even at that, the detective was so very much alone in the world._

_But, one day the detective met a doctor who was in the army, and who could fight, and they became best friends, and the detective took him to all the crime scenes but their happiness was going to be spoiled when an evil villain, tried to defeat the detective in a swimming pool, but he was interrupted by a phone call. The detective didn't know it at the time, but the phone call was about a damsel in distress who had managed to escape the villain's men._

_So, the detective went home after that, with his doctor. As the days went on from there, he soon got bored with his job. He needed something exciting and challenging but that did not come for weeks and weeks later, where he was taken to a Palace. His doctor was also taken there and they waited to find out why they were brought to such a magnificent place._

_Then the detective's powerful elder brother came into the palace and the detective greeted his brother with resentment. He could be childish sometimes because he had never fully grown up in a way. But, he soon stopped his sulking behaviour when he was told about a story writer who wrote about detectives, just like the detective in this story and they found out she had important photographs on her phone, and so the detective went to see her._

_When this writer answered her front door, she saw him with a cut on his face and invited him inside to tend to it. She knew who he was when she saw him and that the cut on his face, was caused by the detective's doctor hitting him in the face so that the detective could take advantage of the writer's kindness but the writer was still kind, because she had fallen in love with him months before._

_But, suddenly bad men who were after her because of a mistake, tried to hurt the writer, the detective and the doctor but the writer had set a trap. After, it was safe in the house, again the detective found her camera phone which had the important photos. The phone was important to her and she managed to get it back off him and she ran away._

_So the detective spent the next day sulking, where they met up again. She put sleeping medicine in his tea so that he could not follow her and she took him home, where he would be comfortable. Then one day, the writer was running away from the bad men and women again, in a place in London, called Canary Wharf. She got injured in her attempt to escape, but she was rescued by the kind detective, and taken to the doctor who made sure she was going to be alright. The detective helped her with her problems, and allowed her to return back home to New Jersey, in America._

_But the detective never forgot her and he called her The Woman._

_**THE END**_

A tear ran down from her eye as she read over it and then she smiled. _"I was proud to be your Woman, Sherlock even though you were a childish, grumpy bastard."_

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Saturday 21st September

John woke up to the sound of his phone going off. "**It's time, SH." **At those words the army doctor sighed.

"**The baby will be coming in a couple of days, don't die…again!" **John replied, before getting up and getting ready. He removed his gun from his drawer and glanced over to Mary, who was still sleeping. On his way downstairs he found Irene in the living room, awake as he went in to get his bullets from his, box.

"You've walked in armed, with a gun in you inside jacket pocket. Don't lie to me. Where are you going? You have absolutely no need to start using a gun, unless you were going somewhere dangerous. What's going on?"

"Emm…I was going to meet up with Bill today and we're going to the shooting range."

"Why would you try and conceal it?" Irene replied.

"Irene, I think you should go upstairs and go back to sleep. Get some rest. In a few days, you're going to have a really tough time."

"Don't lie to me, John. I just need the truth. Is Sebastian Moran, after us again?"

"No."

"Then, why are you going out?"

"To meet, Bill." John replied with convincing exasperation.

"I'm sorry." Irene replied before sitting down. "I guess, I just thought that for a moment, he was still alive and I got my hopes up."

John felt terrible for the way Irene was feeling.

The doctor sighed and made his way over to his box on the table and unlocked it to get his bullets. He loaded the gun and put it back into his jacket pocket.

"_Why would he need his own bullets? Aren't they usually supplied?" _Irene thought as John left.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea heard her mobile go off. **"Are you ready, Anthea? MH."**

"**I am, sir." **she replied.

"**I am sorry, Anthea. Thank you for all of your help. MH."**

"**I was honoured to help you, sir."**

She put her phone – which sadly was not her blackberry - under the pillow, and on silent before standing up straight. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she heard the click of the bolt on the holding cell door opening. Then the door opened, and she was face to face with two agents. "Mr Holmes, wants to see you at once."

"Oh, really?" Anthea asked putting a hand on her hips. "Well I do not want to see, Mr Holmes."

"I'm afraid you've no choice in the matter."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"Did he do it?" Moran asked one of his men. "Has he taken, Anthea to interrogation?"

"He's moved her there. It's the seventh interrogation in the past few months. I overheard him saying that, if she doesn't tell him anything, he's going to have to send her to…" his man began to explain.

"It's a good job today is the day. Anyway, interrogation is easier to get to. Where is Gunther?" asked Moran cutting off his man.

"He's already on his way there."

"Good."

"Why today of all days, sir?" his man asked.

"Because, today is the day that thirty members of staff including some members of security are on holiday or away on other matters, every holiday has to be made months in advance for some, and while they are away they call in temporary replacements, and those replacements, are Jim's sleepers who have been waiting for this moment as soon as I contacted them. Because, once the power is out in the ministry, there computer's going into backup mode, and that will trigger the transmitter to transmit everything on their mainframe to ours and the beauty of it is, I've outsmarted Mycroft Holmes already."

Sebastian turned to the window and looked out. "And once, I wipe the final Holmes brother out of existence, I will have satisfaction. Have you got the truck, ready?"

"Of course, sir."

"Bring it round. We're leaving."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea waited an hour, for Mycroft to come to the interrogation room. He put a folder down on the table. "I need you to tell me every answer to my questions, Anthea. Right, now; or, you'll be going to K27!"

Anthea leaned back in the chair. "Like, you won't send me there to be sure anyway."

Mycroft rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Sebastian Moran, is dangerous, Anthea. Do you honestly think that he cares whether or not you tell me anything?"

"If you think he's dangerous then you should surely think that he'll kill me once I give you the information."

Anthea's eyes darted to the door as she heard the footsteps of the guard outside. Suddenly the lights in the interrogation room went, out and Anthea could see through the one way mirror.

"What has happened?" Mycroft asked. The door opened and in stepped the guard, he lifted his gun and pointed it at Mycroft hands behind your head, Mr Holmes. Mycroft did what he said, with a roll of the eyes and a sigh. "Is this your doing?" he asked Anthea.

Anthea never replied. She waited patiently as her handcuffs were removed and final she could move. She was handed a gun. "Mr Moran, says that you've to get out as soon as possible. He wants a word with Mr Holmes on the roof."

Mycroft the 'guard' a look. "So be it, if that's what he wishes."

Mycroft made his way out of the door with the gun poking into his back. Two more guards, followed him as Mycroft was led to the elevator.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"Has backup been established?" Anthea asked as she walked inside the main tech room. The person she was speaking to turned around. "Hello, Gunther. Have not seen you since you declared, Sherlock Holmes dead."

"Good to see you, Anthea." he replied. "These are my partners Gordon, and Neville, who will be helping me send the ministry's data to our mainframe."

"Ah." Anthea replied.

"I need your hand, Anthea you are still on this computer." spoke Gunther. Anthea let the computer scan her hand.

"I will also need your eyes."

"The laser is too bright." Anthea replied. "Fine."

"It's not my fault you are the only one on the inside, that has ever had their finger prints or their retina pattern scanned into a computer."

Anthea sighed as her eyes were scanned. "Thank you. OK. Here it's working. It's going to take half an hour at the most, for it to begin."

Anthea nodded. "Mr Gunter, sir. Security footage, is showing an army vehicle, coming in. It's not ours, because ours already came. It's an actual…"

"That was not expected." Anthea lied, feigning surprise on her face. "Barricade off the door to the tech room! Gunther, I need you to bring down the bullet proof, layers."

"But…" began Gunther.

"Do it!" Anthea replied. "In corridor, one and corridor four and that's an order!"

"On it, mam."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

After Mycroft was escorted on to the roof, he saw Sebastian immediately. "It must be hard being the only government lackie there today. Prime minister is only just on his way back from the US, the vice, in Spain, Foreign secretary in Canada…I could go on forever. Not only, are you going to lose all of your data to me, I came to sort of rub it in your face before I kill you."

"And your plan is to kill me the way that my brother was?"

"Or rather the way that he should have done, but no. I would rather kill you myself, that is the way Jim and I differed. He didn't want to get his hands dirty. But, if I do my research…I would probably find that, Sherlock Holmes drove Jim into the suicide. It was not his plan from the beginning. He worked out the IOU riddle, before meeting, Jim."

"Yes, I know my brother told me about it."

"So, he made use of the book then?" Moran asked. He turned to his three men. "You may go. Dale, you however wait outside the door. Don't let anyone up here that shouldn't be. That means no one!"

The man named Dale nodded and the three men left, Moran and Mycroft on the room. "Why did you leave us, Sebastian? You had it all going well for you. You were going to be a personal sniper, to protect the Royal Family during public events, and you threw it away for James Moriarty? For money? You betrayed your country…"

"I did not betray my country; I merely stopped working for Government pigs like you!"

"So, is this why you've brought me up here? To have me slaughtered? Sherlock's been proved innocent, and by you killing me, a man who can be led to Moriarty, it will only make people stop and wonder, if the man they had deemed a fake was indeed the genius that he said he was."

"I don't care about, Sherlock Holmes. He's no longer a threat and neither will you be. But first of all I'll need the all clear, from Gunther. I might need you alive for the moment. So, just stand her and think about the good things in your life, Mr Mycroft Holmes. Needless, to say you won't be thinking about your stupid little brother."

Mycroft turned away and began laughing. "You're wrong. You're indeed, very much mistaken, Sebastian. "Mostly because my little brother is far from stupid and indeed, he indeed is one of the good things in my life."

"Still, miss him? After all you're not using past tense."

"One will always be fond of their family." Mycroft replied.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

John and Sherlock began walking down a empty corridor. "Remember, Sherlock we're just here to shine a few lights against mirrors on a roof and then we're going and letting the plan follow through. "Hey what are you doing?" they heard someone shout.

John and Sherlock turned around in time to see one of Moran's men ready to shoot. John shot first – a crack shot that ploughed a bullet into his head. "Mycroft, said kill Moran's men on sight."

"But, John you waited on him to begin to shoot you. Keep being honourable." Sherlock replied.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"Out of curiosity, what do you want me to do with your body once I shoot you?" Moran asked, half an hour later.

"I'm sure you'll toss me over onto the car park anyway." Mycroft replied.

"Very funny, Mr Holmes."

Suddenly, Moran's eyes caught a light reflecting and he turned to the direction it came from. It happened again and then he turned to Mycroft. "Call of your snipers."

"What, snipers? They must be your own." Mycroft replied, feigning surprise and innocence.

"Dale, go and check it out!" Moran ordered.

Mycroft smiled and shrugged his shoulders while Moran shot him a look.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea, paced up and down in the tech room. "I need the code now, Anthea." Gunther spoke. Anthea walked over and began punching the keys to input the code into the computer.

"It's connecting." Gunther spoke.

"Sir, that's not what should be happening." spoke Gordon. "That looks like it's downloading our information instead."

Anthea heard the sound of a gun clicking and she grabbed it and knocked it out of Gordon's hands. Gunther shot Neville as he attempted to shoot Anthea. Then Anthea dealt a blow with her own gun to Gordon's head, knocking him unconscious. She took their radios off them, and took out the batteries.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Gunther asked.

Anthea never replied but winked. "How long, until this downloads?"

"Three hours, roughly."

"Oh, dear, god. We're still convicts in their eyes, and if Mycroft tells them or we tell them then our cover is blown."

"Mycroft?" questioned Gunther.

"I mean, Mr Holmes." Anthea replied. "We are going to have to close off corridor twelve, and thirteen."

"What? That leads here, Anthea."

"It's all that we can do."

Gunther sighed. "If…"

"It's an order, Gunther!"

"Yes, mam." Gunther replied.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"He's sending someone over, are you ready, John?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes, I am ready. "John replied.

Sherlock and John waited, for Dale to come along. Just as he passed the two of them, they both struck him at the same time, knocking him unconscious. Then John picked up Dale's walkie talkie, as Sherlock's phone went off. **"Sherlock, it's going to take another three hours. Can you hang in there? Anthea."**

"**Yes, I can. Thank you! SH."**

"What's wrong?"

"Another three hours." Sherlock replied. "We'll just need to keep quiet. You can go if you want?"

"I'm taking you to, that woman alive."

"Not that, Woman, John. The Woman." Sherlock replied with a smile.

John smiled.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Gunther's phone went off an hour later. "It's for you, again. This time it's Moran."

She took the phone away from him, and took it off of hold. "Hello, darling…I can do that. Well, it's going to a little while longer, dear…another two hours at the least!...It's not my fault I won't have anyone talk to me like that…Well I'm hurt…So you should be…Goodbye!"

She ended the call. "What's going on?" Gunther asked.

"Some things, I am not allowed to answer, and there are some things that I don't know the answer to. But, this time…I need to keep playing for both sides, while helping both sides, while calling off some of our own people…Think, Anthea! Think!"

"Anthea, I can still hear you." spoke Gunther.

"Have, we still got the fake bombs, with the fake timers, that we used for training?"

"Yes." Gunther replied.

"If we set them up at points around the offices, then, we can fool them into backing off a bit, and… but it will only buy us a little more time. What about tech room four?"

"It's at the other side, and people are shooting, and…"

"But if we get mainframe chip from there and put it into this one here, it's got double the capacity…"

"Anyway, who goes down that, way, in that gunfire is crazy!"

"I must be crazy, then."

"Anthea, no…" began Gunther. "You're not impressing anyone…I'm not impressed."

"Oh, don't think I am trying to impress **you** in fact, I am not even trying to impress anyone, but I am not going to let Sherlock Holms be taken down by Moran. We clear?"

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"Anthe was wasted as a PA." Sebastian spoke.

"I know it better than anyone."

"Why, didn't you let her sign up to be an agent, then?"

"I said that I would personally see to it that she got through, but her mother died, and her sister was still at high school. She wanted to make sure, that her little sister was alright, and so she kept her position as my PA."

Mycroft sat down on the edge of the roof as Sebastian did. "You should pick them more carefully. I turned Gunther and Anthea. Good, old Anthea."

Mycroft drew him a look of disdain. "Oh, I am sorry, Mycroft. I always knew you fancied her."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Anthea took the staircase up to the third floor to avoid, being shot at, and as she made her way along the corridor. Glass began to fall on the floor, as rifles began shooting at the windows. Anthea realised suddenly she was not even safe on that floor. She began crawling along the floor cutting her hands on the glass on her way. "Damn it!" she uttered as she got to the staircase door. She stood up and began jogging down them, until she got to basement floor where the other tech room was.

She began making her way along, to the door, looking around carefully as she did. When she got the door, she opened it slowly and then finished off opening it quickly to find that no one was there. She took a deep breath and began looking around. "Come on, where is that transmission chip?"

Finally she found it, and she careful removed it. "Thank goodness, I have found you."

She took the same route back to the other tech room and handed Gunther the chip. "Here!"

"You are bleeding."

"Well, spotted, glad to see you've not gone blind now can't you half the transmission onto each one and shorten our waiting to an hour and while you're doing that. I will plant these fakes bombs, you hear me?"

"I can do that mam, and yes I will do that, mam before you order me and good luck, mam."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Half an hour later

"Why is everyone backing off?" Moran, asked through his radio.

Mycroft's eyes brows raised before Moran put his radio down and turned to him. "There are bombs scattered across the building, Mycroft Holmes. Did you put them there?"

"It must have been your men!"

"Speaking of my men…" began Moran as he picked up his radio again. "Dale, do you copy?...Dale…"

"These bombs have forced your men to back off, haven't they."

"Your men have backed off they seem to think that it's us. So what's going on, Mycroft?"

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Sherlock's phone went off half an hour later. **"It's done, we've got all the information. I await both you and you my boss' orders. Anthea." **

"Moran keeps calling on Dale. I think that's him." John replied, pointing to the unconscious Dale.

"I think it's time, don't you. I'll do the shining, and you do the talking."

John nodded. "This, is not Dale. Over."

John smiled when Moran spoke. "Then, who the hell are you?" the leader of the network spoke.

"Don't they teach you how to communicate of a radio, over."

"What do you want?"

"We have six snipers with a restless and happy trigger finger. Surrender, now and you won't die."

Moran turned around to see the door to the roof opening and a pair of familiar boots on the concrete. He smiled when he saw Anthea. "Anthea, great to see you."

She had a gun in her hand and she began pointing it at him, causing Moran's face to drop. "You were working for him."

Anthea tossed a phone over to Mycroft who dialled a number. "Bombs are a fake, sir." Anthea spoke. "Should give your men an advantage."

"I'll get you back, for this Anthea. I really will. Don't think the network has stopped. Don't think for one moment. If I am going down you're going down with me." spoke Sebastian.

"As ordered." they heard Mycroft say.

"As ordered what?" Sebastian asked Anthea. Anthea lowered her gun, as Moran fell to the ground, and his blood, poured on the rooftop, ground. "You had actual snipers…"

Mycroft put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "I had to make sure, he didn't get away. Thank you, Anthea. But, how on earth did you manage to do all that extra work?"

"Well, sir you said I should use my initiative more." she replied with a smile. Mycroft picked up the mobile, Anthea had giving him once more and began sending out a few orders.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

The next day

"Well, Mycroft I must say you handled this very well, indeed." The prime minister said to him.

"I can't take all the credit, sir. I had help."

"Of course, your brother and his friends."

"And Anthea's of course."

"I advise that you re-instate her as your PA."

"There is no question in my mind that it's the right thing to do." Mycroft replied.

"What of, the rest of the network?"

"Our own SAS are dealing with them, now. We have every single one of them on file. We're taking them out. Anthea managed to help us with raiding Moran's study. He had his own offices, in Canary Wharf. It was how, Moriarty knew of Irene Adler's presence there a year ago at Christmas."

"Two years, this Christmas I believe. I believe we owe that poor woman, a favour." the prime minister replied.

"Oh, I have taken care of any issue, with the Woman in question."

"Good. Keep me informed, of the progress."

"Indeed, sir."

Mycroft left the prime minister's office to find Anthea waiting outside, on her blackberry. It was as if she never left the thing. He smiled and she looked up. It was about time, he spoke to her.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Irene sat brushing her hair, as she heard John and Mary downstairs talking. Once, she decided it was tidy enough she made her way down, feeling the strain of her pregnancy getting to her. The news was on when she got into the living room, and from the corner of her eyes, as she entered the kitchen to get a drink of water, she saw Lestrade. "Oh is Greg on a new case?"

John never answered, and neither did Mary, so Irene began to listen. "More than a year ago, Sherlock Holmes, was jumped off from Saint Bart's roof. It was suicide of fake genius. Today I am here to tell you that it was a fake suicide of a genius. It was Scotland Yard working with government agencies, who had consorted with members of the press, that put the story of him being a fake in action. We needed to kill Sherlock Holmes so he could work undercover to take down James Moriarty and his network. He did so today…"

Irene stopped listening and John looked over to her. "Where is he?" she asked.

"I'm here." a familiar voice spoke. She looked over to see, Sherlock and she walked over to him. She slapped him hard across the face and stormed away from him and upstairs.

"I told you, her welcome was not going to be good…" John began. Sherlock sighed because John had already punched him in the stomach. He then went and sat down; he was exhausted.

"Why aren't you going up there, after her?"

"Is that what she wants?" Sherlock asked.

"Of course that's what, she wants." Mary replied.

Sherlock stood up and turned around to the door and made his way to the stair case before slowly ascending the stairs.

TBC

A/N One more chapter, guys and the end. Thanks for everything guys. : )


	10. Chapter 10

When Sherlock walked into his old room, he found Irene, lying on the bed, facing the other wall. He could, hear her crying. "Irene. I think that it would be best for both of us, if you were to listen to what I have to say."

"There is no us, Sherlock!" Irene replied, before standing up and straightening her clothes. She turned around to him. All the pain he'd caused her since, walking into the book store, in London, was being shown. He could tell, by looking at her, that she was lucky enough to be eight stone, with the baby. It was the stress he had caused her and he felt guilty.

"The baby is due, soon?"

"Couple of more days…"

"You should sit down and rest."

"Sit, down so that you can keep on acting high and mighty? That's all you ever do, Sherlock. Well, it's over isn't it? All your problems. So, you're obviously going to be going back to your old way of life, and I'm not wanted anymore, and as soon as I can, I'll be gone."

"I don't want you to go." Sherlock spoke. "Please, don't go!"

"Why, shouldn't I? You've broke my heart over and over, and I've kept on going, because I love you. I can't suffer anymore, Sherlock. I've given up, on you."

Sherlock walked to the door, and then turned around. "I would have given in to Moran, if it had not been the thought of coming back to you. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and all I wanted was you!"

"I will not fall into pitying you."

"I don't want pity!" Sherlock replied. "I just want you. I need you!"

"Where, were you when I was scared, Sherlock? When I need you."

"I had to die to protect you and my son or my daughter! John, and Mary and Mrs Hudson. Moran, backed off with me dead."

"You could have told me, Sherlock! What, you were going to do, but you didn't and I thought that I would never see you again. Faking suicide is one thing but getting murdered…It's possible then that you're really dead. You wouldn't commit suicide you love yourself too much."

"If I had told you, you would have tried to contact me, and it would risk putting you and the plan in danger."

"So, you think that automatically makes it, OK?"

"No." Sherlock replied. "I'm sorry but life is cruel and it doesn't make it OK. You were hurt, and alone, and vulnerable and I didn't want Moran trying to hurt you anymore, than I had. I thought, that if I got you alive, when I came back, that it would all be OK, after that."

"But it is not OK!" Irene replied. "It will never be, OK!"

"I'm sorry! I don't know what else to do and I don't know what else to say! I'm not good at dealing with human emotion but I'm trying…for you!"

"Well, I'm done trying for you, Sherlock. Goodbye."

Sherlock sighed and left the room, before walking downstairs, and leaving Baker Street.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

No one knew where Sherlock went after he left the flat at Baker Street, and Irene was secretly worried about him, but she refused to admit it to herself, because that would admit feeling something for him, however little, and she was angry at him, angry and hurt.

But she changed her mind when she went into labour on the twenty third of September and when she got to the hospital she called Mycroft and asked him to find Sherlock. Two hours went passed, and she struggling to cope with the struggle of giving birth, and she felt alone, tired and weak.

Then Sherlock came into the room, and walked over to her. "Mycroft, said you were looking for me."

"I need you to stay with me. Will you do that? Please…don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving you." Sherlock replied, before kissing her forehead. "I promise, I will not leave you again…intentionally."

He moved her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

Mycroft sat in his home, waiting patiently on the phone call from, Sherlock to tell him the baby was born and that it was safe.

"Are you worried about being an uncle?"

He looked up to the asker, and smiled. "Not, really Anthea. I am sure the child will get their maturity from their mother, and not their father. Or, so I'm hoping."

Anthea sat on the armchair across from him. "I spoke to my sister; she's doing well with her studies. She's going to make an excellent journalist, I think."

"I am glad. How is she?" Mycroft asked. "She must have been worried about you all those months."

"She was, but she's fine and I explained. She understood; probably the only person who has ever understood the complexity of my job as a PA."

"I am sorry, Anthea for what you were put through."

"I would have done anything to help you, sir. You were so sad, and stressed when all your brother's problems were arising and I kept on thinking back to the time that my little sister, was struggling to get a placement in university and you used your connections to help her."

A tear slid down Anthea's cheek. "I believed that I owed you it."

Mycroft took her words in, and sighed. "I never secured your sister's position into university for a favour."

"I know you didn't." Anthea replied. "That's why I did what I did, because you were kind to me."

Mycroft sighed and looked out of the window. For the first time ever he was in his brother's shoes. He was glad when he got the phone call from Sherlock.

"Thank you…Is she alright?...Are you two friends at least?...My final suggestion to you today would be to find a case with a high and powerful rich man or woman, who will pay you a lot of money, and then use that money, Sherlock because you are going to need to."

Mycroft ended the call. "Boy or a girl?" Anthea asked.

"A girl."

"That's nice, what is she going to call it?"

"Irene is still trying to decide." Mycroft replied.

"Are you going to see the baby, sir?"

"I'll visit her when she returns to Baker Street. It will give her some time to calm down. I don't want to risk her killing me. However, the present I discussed for the child, would you sort it out for me?"

"Of, course I will sir."

"Anthea." Mycroft spoke again. "I did what I did for your sister, because I could not bear to see you fighting back tears, every time that you were on the phone to her, after her every failed attempt. I knew myself that your sister, had the right qualifications. All I had to do was pressurise the university a little."

Anthea laughed and Mycroft shot her a questioning look. "It's funny, sir. I have never known kindness from many people and when I got told I was working for the Ice Man, I did not expect it at all. I did not expect it from any boss, and yet you were."

She was about to walk away, but she stopped. "I helped your brother, because I know how much you care about him, and how heartbroken that it would make you be, if he really was to die. I saw what the Bart's roof incident did, and I did not want to see that again. I didn't want to be an agent just because I would be away from my sister, I would be away from you, sir."

"Anthea there is something, I need to tell you." Mycroft said, simply before standing up and walking over to her.

"Yes, sir?" Anthea asked.

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

"What are you doing, Mary?" John asked, his girlfriend, as they sat at Baker Street.

"Setting up a Facebook, page. It's about time."

John kissed her cheek before making his way into the kitchen. Then he turned around to Mary suddenly. "I don't think Sherlock will cope with a girl." John stated.

"Why would you think that, darling?"

"Well if he had a boy, he could play football…maybe he will cope better with the girl." John replied. "I don't think, Sherlock is really in to football. He's one of those geeky people, who like science…"

Mary shot him a look. "Nice, geeky people. Please don't kill me."

"Don't make jokes about science, and anyway, he doesn't know about the solar system. That's physics, at primary. I don't like physics but I know that."

"Girls like clothes, and as much as Sherlock has an impeccable wardrobe…"

"John, why are you worrying about Sherlock's daughter?"

"She's Sherlock's daughter, and since I'm going to be God Father then…"

"John she hasn't even asked you."

"Sherlock might want me to be…"

"Face it John; Sherlock doesn't even get a say."

"Irene might want me to be…"

"I am sure you will make an excellent, uncle to her John, but she does have another uncle."

"Well, I'll be her cool uncle."

"The child is but half an hour born and already you're trying to plan how much of a brilliant uncle you are going to be, which I do not doubt, sweetheart but leave Irene be for just now."

**SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK SHERLOCK**

November 2nd (Mary's birthday) 2013

Mary and John had moved in to a new flat not far from Baker Street and they were only a few weeks living there. "Mary, will you get the door."

"There is a magic word!" she shouted back to John as she went to go and answer it.

"Please." John replied. "Or is, Happy Birthday, I love you?"

Mary laughed and answered the door.

"Miss, Mary Morstan?"

"Yes." she replied.

"A package here for you."

"Thank you."

When the post man was gone she opened it and read the letter first.

**"Dear Miss Morstan, I have been looking for your address for quite some time now and have only recently found it through the social networking site, Facebook. I hope you like the gift that has been sent to you, and I assure you that there is yet but more to come. Yours faithfully; your friend."**

Mary opened the package with a rather puzzled expression. "John! John!" she shouted. "I think you better see this."

When John came out, Mary was holding up what looked like a turquoise pearl. "Who sent that?" John asked.

"I have absolutely no idea." Mary replied. "But they say there is more to come."

**THE END**

A/N It will be continued in my own version of the Sign Of Four. This was my very loose version of an empty house. I don't think it was even remote to it, but I didn't want to do an exact replica, because I feel that Doyle should still have his story. Anywho:

A big thank you to :-

- Push_to_Shove

- JaneEyre0

- O.O LOLz

- Everyone who favourite.

- Everyone who alerted.

- Everyone who read, it.

- Also a big thank you to the anonymous reviewers who continued to make fun of the fact that Irene and Sherlock were having a baby together, I had a wonderful time of laughing, at you, laughing at me.


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